Here’s how Velasquez, who was the second cyclist I saw pulled over, described his interaction with police. “When he pulled me over, I said ‘why you pulling me over?’ He [the police officer] said, ‘I’m pulling you over because you are not riding your bicycle in the line [points to bike lane], you are on the other side.’ I said, ‘I never heard of that.’ He said, ‘we’re doing that now.’”

"The law is the law and lawbreakers should be ticketed but the unusual focus on cyclist behavior seems out of step with the realities of the road," the bike advocacy group Transportation Alternatives said in a written statement. "Hundreds of New Yorkers are killed or injured by cars every year—we need enforcement that will protect New Yorkers from the real dangers on our streets."

The NYPD has not responded to a request for a clarification on the law. For a bit more on the actual nuance of the traffic code, head over to Transportation Nation, where there's more on this story.